Life-boat body-catcher.



. KovAos.

. FORRAY & S

LIFE BAT BODY GATCHER APPLICATION FILED A1111. 1, 1914.

Patented June 16, 1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOHAN FORRAY AND STEVE KOVCS, OF HEATHERMAN, WEST VIRGINIA.

LIFE-BOAT' BODY-CATCHER.

incassa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 16, 1914.

Application filed April 1, 1914. Serial No. 828,722.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHAN Formar and Srnvn Kovfios, subjects of the King of Hungary, residing at Heatherman, in the county of Kanawha and State of Vest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Boat Body-Catchers7 of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in life boat body catohers.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a means positioned upon a life boat which is readily manipulated by the occupants thereof for removing a human body from the water and serviceable for either carrying the body thereon or depositing the same within the boat.

A further object is to provide such a body catcher formed in a manner to consume a minimum amount of room Within the boat and to offer only slight resistance and hindrance to the usual operating of manipulation of the boat.

A still further object is to provide as easily manipulated the body catcher positionable at the side of a life boat and capable of being elevated and lowered while at the same time being operable at any adjusted position for hoisting a body out of the water.

lith these general objects in view and others that. will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a partof this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure l is top plan view of a life boat with' the present invention installed thereon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 8 is a central vertical transverse sectional view through one side of the boat provided with the invention7 and, Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of the shaft fulcrum and adjusting lever by which the body catcher is mounted upon the boat.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, a life boat 10 of the usual construction is illustrated as having a body catching member 11 operatively positioned at opposite sides thereof and capable of manipulation from the boat and whereby a floating body upon the waterat either side of the boat may be picked up and elevated above the surface of the water and carried thereon during the travel of the boat.

A frame 12 provided with a net covering 13 is bent to substantially conform to the outer side of the boat being bent or hooked slightly at its free end 14; which portion is positioned adjacent the boat keel 15 While an extending arm 16 is secured to the frame for pivoting the same to the boat.

The gunwale 17 of the boat is provided with spaced vertical brackets 18 having longitudinal oppositely alining slots 19 while within said slots is slidably-mounted the transverse pin 2O rigidly carried by the arm 16. Said arm 16 being extended at its free end in the form of an actuating handle 21, it will be evident that an inward arcuate movement exerted upon said handle results in swinging the same upon its pivot pin 20 and thereby elevating the frame and screen at the side of the boat and forming the body catching net.

For the purpose of shifting the operative position of the pivot pin 2O and thereby regulating the depth to which the body-can rying screen may be immerse-d, an adjusting lever 22 is pivoted upon the xed pivot 23 and has its bifurcated ends 24C engaging over the shiftable pivot pin 20 and whereby as will be evident, an arcuate swinging movement of the lever 22 upon its pivot 23 elevates or lowers the screen at will. A toothed rack 25 rigidly positioned upon the gunwale receives the spring-pressed dog 26 of the lever 22 and thereby retains the lever and the shiftable vpivot pin'20 in its desired adjusted position at whatever depth of screen may be desired and thereupon, the manipulation of the operating lever 21 moves the screen outwardly and upwardly for receiving the body upon its upper surface and elevating the same above the water where, as will be evident, the same may be carried during the travel of the boat or may be removed into the boat by the operator thereof.

While the forms of the invention herein shown and described are what are believed to be preferable embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms andfmodiications thereof maybe had Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

lVhat We claim as new is l. In combination with a boat, slotted brackets carried by the gunwale thereof, a screened frame positioned exteriorly of the boat, a projecting lever arm carried by said frame, a pivot pin transversely positioned upon. said lever arm and slidably-monnted Within the slots of said bracket, an adjustingjlever having a fixed pivot and opposite slots, said pivot pin adapted for reception kWithin the slots of said lever, and locking means for retaining .said adjusting lever in position.

2. In combination with a life boat, spaced bracket members vertically positioned upon the gunwale thereof and having alining slots therethrough, a frame substantially conforming to the shape of the boat, a. screen covering said frame, a projecting lever arm secured to said frame, a transverse pin upon said arm slidably positioned Within the slots of said bracket, an arcuate toothed said bracket, adjusting means for said pivot carried by the boat, locking means for said adjusting means, and an operating lever for said screen.

In testimony whereof We aiix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHAN FORK-AY. STEVE KOVACS. Vitnesses LOUIS ELEKCS, GEORGE PAvLYiK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

